The Nokia E71 smartphone hit the market in July 2008. One of the Nokia E series, it was replaced in 2010 by the similar E72. Nokia E series smartphones come with a variety of features, including quad-band GSM 3G HSDPA, keyboard, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, camera and SMS (Short Message Service) text messaging. If your E71 is unable to send text messages, several causes are possible, most of which are easily remedied. SMS messages rely on your phone's connection to the 2G, 3G or 4G wireless networks to be sent and received properly.
Networking Problem
Occasionally, a wireless service provider's networks may be inaccessible for any of an assortment of reasons, including excessive traffic, weather conditions or power outages. In such a case, your Nokia E71 can't send SMS messages. A cell tower experiencing such conditions will divert cellular transmissions to nearby towers. This can cause long waits for sending SMS messages. These delays can take hours to resolve, making it seem as if your E71 is unable to send the message. In the event of inclement weather or a power outage, you may not be able to send or receive calls or messages at all until the issue is resolved.
Settings
The Nokia E71 automatically connects to the 2G or 3G wireless networks. If it loses that connectivity it will be unable to send SMS messages. Sometimes a user will accidentally disconnect the cell phone's wireless network settings. Then it can't connect to the network to send and receive cellular transmissions. You can remedy the problem by going to the phone's settings on its home screen and activating the wireless network settings. The E71 can be set to access only one network. Doing that can cause slow transmission speeds, especially if the phone is set to access only the slower 2G network.
Billing
Inability to send an SMS from the Nokia E71 can be a consequence of failure to pay the bill. If you do not pay the billed amount by the due date, your phone will be deactivated. This may be an obvious solution, but sometimes a provider will move your bill's due date up without informing you.
Memory
Your E71 comes with 128MB of random access memory (RAM), which can slow your device's applications down, including SMS messaging, if the device has been left running for an extended amount of time. Turning the device off and then back on will clear the phone's RAM and can improve speed.
Short-Term Solutions
If your E71's inability to send SMS messages persists, consider using one of the phone's other messaging features, such as instant messaging or mobile email, to get your message to its recipient. Instant messages, which are similar to SMS messages, can be sent from one mobile device to another through an Internet connection to a third-party client, such as Yahoo. Mobile email acts the same as laptop or desktop computer email, enabling you to send and receive messages while logged into an email account.
Tags: send messages, send receive, your unable send, access only, cellular transmissions, network settings, Nokia series